Analysis of the Helical-Wedge Rolling Process for Producing a Long Stepped Shaft

Abstract

Helical-wedge rolling (HWR) is a forming process wherein the wedges are helically wound on the roll face. Developed at the Lublin University of Technology (Poland), the HWR process has been successfully applied to produce balls. The present paper describes an example of application of the HWR process for producing a long stepped shaft. The design of the process is discussed and the tools necessary for its realization are described. The developed rolling concept was positively verified by a numerical simulation. The distributions of effective strains and temperatures in a shaft are given, and the variations in forming forces and torques are presented. Particular emphasis is given to the problem of production accuracy of the shaft.